Rim for a diver&#39;s watch

ABSTRACT

A RIM FOR A DRIVER&#39;&#39;S WATCH COMPRISING THREE CONCENTRIC ANNULAR ZONES BEARING INDICATIONS CONCERNING RESPECTIVELY THE DEPTH OF IMMERSION, THE TIME INTERVAL OF IMMERSION AND THE CORRESPONDING DECOMPRESSION TIME INTERVAL TO BE OBSERVED BY A DIVER BEFORE RETURNING TO THE SURFACE OF THE WATER.

9, 7 w. JENNY RIM FOR A DIVER'S WATCH INVEN TOR Womor JENNY A 'ITORNE Y United States Patent 01 Ffice 3,613,354 RIM FOR A DIVERS WATCH Werner Jenny, Lengnau, Switzerland, assignor to Jenny et Cie S.A., Lengnau, Switzerland Filed May 15, 1969, Ser. No. 824,940 Int. Cl. G04b 19/00 US. Cl. 58-126 R 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A rim for a di vers watch comprising three concentric annular zones bearing indications concerning respectively the depth of immersion, the time interval of immersion and the corresponding decompression time interval to be observed by a diver before returning to the surface of the water.

The present invention relates to a rim for a divers watch permitting to determine almost instantaneously with a high precision, the length of the decompression time interval that a diver must observe before coming back on the surface of the water.

It is known that this decompression time interval depends on two parameters: the depth of immersion indicated generally by a depth meter and the time interval of immersion.

The rim in accordance with the invention comprises at least three annular concentric zones bearing indications concerning respectively the depth of immersion, the time intenval of immersion and the corresponding decompression time interval.

The accompanying drawings illustrate, by way of example, a divers watch having a rim in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the rim; and

FIG. 2 is a partial section view along line IIII of FIG. 1.

In the drawings, there is shown the side wall of a watch case, the watch-glass '11, the dial-plate 12, the hour hand 13, the minute hand 14 and the second hand 15.

The rim 15 consists of a corrugated collar 17 which may be rotated by hand on wall 10 of the watch case against the action of a biasing spring 18.

To collar 17 is secured a ring 19 divided in three concentric annular zones A, B, C each bearing numerical indications on the surface of the rim.

The inside zone A bears two alternate graduations: a first one, on a black background, which is a time graduation divided in five minute intervals (5, 10, 15, 60) the zero mark of which is indicated by a pointer 20, this graduation being used to measure the time interval of immersion, and a second one, on a white background, which is a series of increasing numbers 21, 24, 27, 60 corresponding to the depth of immersion in meters.

The intermediate zone B and the outside zone C are divided in sectors 21 and 22 respectively arranged in pairs. To each one of these sectors corresponds one of the indications of zone A.

The sectors 21 of zone B contain each a series of num bers corresponding to the time intervals of immersion and the sectors 22 of zone C contain each a series of increasing numbers indicating the time intervals of decompression corresponding to the time intervals of immersion and to the depth of immersion.

3,613,354 Patented Oct. 19, 1971 Let us consider, for example, the indication 27 of zone A which indicates that the depth of immersion is 27 meters. The sectors arranged in pairs 21 and 22 corresponding to this indication contain respectively a series of numbers 30, 35, 40, 45 and 50 (zone B), that is 30-50 minutes of immersion, and a series of numbers 3, 4, 6, 16 and 18 (zone C), that is 3-18 minutes of decompression.

To know the time interval of decompression that must be observed (calculated for a decompression level of 3 meters), the diver proceeds as follows:

Immediately before diving into the water, the rim must be rotated so that the pointer 20 and the minute hand 14 of the watch coincide. Before returning to the surface, the diver reads on his depth meter the depth of immersion and on zone A of the rim of his watch the time interval of immersion. The diver then looks on the graduation on a white background of zone A of the rim for the number which is nearest to the depth measured on his depth meter. To this number correspond two sectors 21 and 22 arranged in pairs in zones B and C. In sector 21 (zone B) the diver looks for the number which is nearest to the time interval of immersion and, having found this number, he reads above it on Sector 22 the corresponding number which gives him the time interval of decompression which must be observed.

EXAMPLE The depth meter indicates: 45 meters The minute hand of the watch indicates: 15 minutes The corresponding sectors then read as follows:

To the number 15 (time interval of immersion) of zone B corresponds the number 9 of zone C (time interval of decompression). Consequently, the time interval of decompression which must be observed is 9 minutes.

The invention is not limited to the embodiment shown and disclosed. In particular, the rim could bear other indications than the ones concerning sub-marine diving, such as for example the hours of a second time zone.

I claim:

1. A rim for a divers watch comprising three concentric annular zones, the first zone bearing indications concerning the depth of immersion, the second zone bearing indications concerning the time interval of immersion, the third zone bearing indications concerning the time interval of decompression that a diver must observe before coming back on the water surface, said indications permitting to determine, for a given depth of immersion and for a given time interval of immersion, the corresponding decompression time interval.

2. A rim as defined in claim 1, further comprising a graduation located on said first zone and permitting to determine in cooperation with the minute hand of the watch the time interval of immersion.

3. A rim as defined in claim 2, wherein said graduation and the indications concerning the depth of immersion are alternated on said first zone.

4. A rim as defined in claim 1, wherein the second and third annular zones bearing the indications concerning the time interval of immersion and the time interval of decompression are divided in sectors arranged in pairs References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Droz 58126 Brunet 58-126 X Blum 58126 Wessel 58-126 4 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,560,065 2/1969 France 58152 365,027 11/1962 Switzerland 58152 378,789 6/1964 Switzerland 58152 436,140 5/1967 Switzerland 58152 RICHARD B. WILKINSON, Primary Examiner S. A. WAL, Assistant Examiner 

